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PRISMA

PRISMA 2020 is a standard for transparent reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. It is not a quality appraisal tool: its 27-item checklist and study-selection flow diagram (identification, screening and inclusion) improve review reproducibility.

Applicable study designs

Reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses (at the writing and publication stage).

Key sections

  • Title, abstract and rationale.
  • Eligibility criteria and search sources.
  • Selection process and data extraction.
  • Study-flow diagram.
  • Synthesis of results and limitations.

How the overall judgement is formed

PRISMA does not provide a score or risk judgement. It is a reporting checklist: each item is either addressed in the manuscript or not. Complete reporting improves transparency and reproducibility, not the methodological quality of the review itself.

When to use it

Applied when writing and publishing a review so reporting meets international journal requirements.

Primary source

Page MJ et al., BMJ 2021;372:n71

Updated: 01.10.2026.

PRISMA assessment in Sciente

The platform applies PRISMA to full-text project articles and shows a supporting excerpt beneath each judgement.

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